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ALERT to Young Democrats Attending the CDP Convention This Weekend!

We, the Executive Boards of the San Francisco Young Democrats and the Sonoma County Young Democrats, are taking the unusual step of addressing the entire CYD membership in this letter in order to stop what would be a complete violation of the solidarity and collegiality that Young Democrats stand for.

Many of you have been offered floor passes, with the expectation that you will cast votes for Senator Carole Migden. What you may not realize is that, as the two Young Democrats organizations in Senator Migdens home district, both the San Francisco and the Sonoma County Young Democrats have endorsed Senator Migdens opponent, Assemblyman Mark Leno.

Mark Leno has received our endorsements because he has been a champion of Young Democrats for years, including a major effort to make the 2005 YDA by the Bay National Convention a reality, and earning CYDs 2006 Mentor of the Year Award. He has consistently reached out to Young Democrats and has been there for us any time that we have called on him.

In contrast, Senator Migden and her campaign have used their connections to implicitly threaten the jobs of numerous Young Democrats who supported Mark Leno. She and her staff have spoken ill of Young Democrats to numerous elected officials and other politically-involved people, including members of our own clubs. Rather than take the high road and accept the decisions of our clubs to endorse her opponent, she has instead gone out of her way to undermine the legitimacy of our organizations and, by extension, all Young Democrats.

You have a choice. You can choose to take a free floor pass from someone who has been undermining your fellow YDs. In so doing, you would be voting against the endorsements of your fellow YDs who reside in SD-3 and breaking the collegiality that is so important to Young Democrats. Or you can choose to respect your fellow YDs and, by extension, your own integrity, and turn down an otherwise appealing offer to do the right thing.